Broken Bonds
by starry-oblivion
Summary: [2007 Movieverse] Leonardo's training period was supposed to last six months. When he doesn't return on schedule, Raphael begins to think that they've been abandoned... and he really doesn't appreciate Donatello pretending to be the new leader.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is my first attempt at co-writing a story. All of the odd-numbered chapters are written by my friend Kazari and are in Raphael's point of view, unless otherwise noted. All of the even-numbered chapters are written by me and are in Donatello's POV. So this first section belongs to Kaz, and the next chapter is mine, and on it goes. Hope you enjoy the team effort!

* * *

"This is the news at 5. Grave news….this afternoon a young male was shot by an unknown attacker on the BQE. Witnesses described the shooter to be around 5'9'' with sandy blonde hair…in his mid 20's. Could this be another gang related incident?" The male reporter broadcasted over the television.

Click…

"A teenager was stabbed in the Canal Street Subway station," a female reporter stated on another local channel.

CLICK…

"A local convenient store only a few blocks away from Times Square was robbed…"

CLICK!

So much for the news. This was really pissing me off. Lately all I heard was people getting hurt in New York City…MY city…and what did the fucking police do? Slap them on the wrist like they were 5 years old and put them back in the street. I was getting sick of it…..most importantly I was REALLY getting sick of sitting on my shell in the lair with my 2 other brothers.

Leo was out in the jungle in South America doing whatever because HE couldn't handle the pressure…poor baby, while the city was falling apart and we HAD to stay below because he wasn't here. What in the hell made him so special anyways? I don't know what's worse…having him here….or not having him here. When Leo left, my other brother Don kind of took over. It's been 6 months since Leo's gone and Don's got a job with some stupid tech support place and now he's making Mikey get a job. Who made him in charge anyways? Besides, all Donnie wants to do is just roll over and play with his stupid computer. What a wimp. Don NEVER did like fighting….and pretty soon if something isn't done….the city's going to be taken over by criminals….thugs….riff raff…hoodlums….whatever you want to call those lowlives. I am glad at least Case-man is on my side, but he can't fight this crud alone. I didn't see what the hell was wrong in going out and stopping some of this…

Well at least Leo is supposed to be back tonight. He left 6 months for his "training" session on this date and he said he would be back today. Maybe then he will see how the city's falling apart and how Don doesn't care about doing anything about it!

"Look, Donnie!" Mikey exclaimed as he held up a picture. I glanced over to see that my younger brother held up a drawing of what it looked like some turtle with a huge smiling head, which was kind of creepy if you ask me.

"Mikey? What the hell is that?" I asked. I was not impressed, whatever it was.

"It's a costume! I am going to have April help me make it." Mikey smiled back at me.

Okay…I totally didn't get this. "Costume, eh? Oookay….you're a turtle and you're WEARING a turtle costume? THAT makes sense."

"It's for my new birthday party job that Don's gonna help me with. MONDO MICHELANGELO!"

"No, it's Cowabunga Carl, Mikey," My other brother replied, correcting him. Donatello was over sitting at his computer….WHAT a surprise…and he had turned around. I think that nerd really did enjoy trying to correct others like he's some sort of genius.

"Awe…." Mikey whined as he placed his drawing back on the floor. I just sat where I was on the couch with my arms crossed. I was not impressed with my brainiac brother's idea.

"Mikey, I think the kids would enjoy cowabunga instead of mondo okay? Trust me."

"Why don't you just call it Dipstick Donatello? Because that's the LAMEST idea ever." I commented as I lifted my eye ridge at the 2.

Don shot me a glare, which was no threat to me. "Hey, Raph, you have been complaining the past few months that you were bored….well Mikey and I are finding ways to keep us occupied and help around here instead of sitting on our shells all day- like _some_ turtles- and complaining."

"Helping? You know what would be HELPFUL, Don?" I stood up from the couch. GOD he was annoying me. "Why don't you get your ass out of here and go topside with me to help out those people that those criminals are just picking on?"

Donatello sighed and he turned back around in his chair with his shell facing me. "Raph, that is the job for the police, not us. We did what we were supposed to remember? Save Sensei and fight the Shredder. The Shredder's gone and the Foot has dissolved. Our job is not to go out and be crime fighters."

"Hmm….crime fighters? You mean like superheroes, Raph?" My younger brother asked me excitedly.

"Just keep working on your dumb drawing, Mikey." I waved him off. I was not going to be asked dumb questions….right now I wanted to deal with mister smartass. "Since when, Don, did you decide WHAT our job was, huh? Did Master Leo tell you?"

Donatello sighed. "I am NOT having his conversation with you, Raph. I have to work in a few minutes and I have to get ready." Heh, that was always like him. Pansy.

"Oh, I'm sooorry," I snapped back sarcastically. "I forgot you were WORKING. You know that's the dumbest thing ever. You are wasting your time…and OUR time…doing that stupid job for tech support. What are you even doing that for?"

"It's called money, Raph. You know the food that you eat every day? The t.v...your stereo…the sofa….that table over there….should I continue?" Donatello wheeled around in his chair, now facing me. His jaw was clenched. Heh, I think I was getting to him.

"Oh…." I chuckled. "All this time I thought you swiped that stuff, Don, at the junkyard… or did you not really fix it up like you said?"

"I GOT some parts from the junkyard, but do you really think all of this stuff was salvaged? No…and I DO NOT 'swipe' things. Casey and April bought most of it. They shouldn't be taking care of us, Raph. That's why I got this job…to help pay on OUR own. I thought maybe I would give an example to you and Mikey if I got this job. I guess your feeble mind didn't process the hint like I thought it would."

"Look, Don, I AIN'T getting a job. I ain't workin for stupid tech support place…" I then looked back at my youngest brother, pointing to him as I continued to speak, "and I'm DEFINITELY not dressing up in some stupid costume."

"I wouldn't dream of you doing that, Raph," Now my brother was becoming sarcastic. "I'm sure there's some job out there for your 'intelligence.'"

Did he just diss me?! "WHAT the hell did you say?" I growled. I balled my fists up.

"I have to get to work now," Donatello replied and wheeled back around in his chair, putting on his headset.

I just about had enough of him. I grabbed the headset off his head, jerking it off, pulling the jack out of the computer. "No…you are DEALING with me right now, Don…" I hissed. He really pissed me off this time.

"I can't WAIT for Leo to come back," Mikey said, but I ignored him.

"Awe, glad to see everyone together," I heard Master Splinter say as he entered the room. Damnit! I gave Donatello one more glare…this WAS not over, then walked back to the couch. "What's for dinner?"

* * *

Later on that night after dinner, we sort of watched the news together after Sensei's episode of Gilmore Girls came on. I never understood why he liked such stupid crap to begin with. Get this…Leo never showed. Ha….I figured. I stayed up most of the night while Don and Mikey fell asleep on the couch. Splinter Junior always thought he was better than us…he probably ditched us. Who needs him anyways? I was sick of him trying to control me and Don was NOT going to take his place. I have decided that I am going to deal with these lowlives. 


	2. Chapter 2

When I went to the kitchen to get a can of soda, I saw that the sink was full again.

"Oh cripes," I muttered, my hand exasperatedly slamming into my forehead. I washed the dishes. I washed _my_ dishes. We don't really eat dinner together or anything anymore, so Raph and Mikey go ahead and make whatever they want (much to Sensei and I's chagrin). Unfortunately, I keep forgetting that they're both insufferable _kids_ who don't think it's "cool" to wash the dishes after using them.

Forgetting about my soda, I went over to the sink and started doing something about the dirty dishes. We had enough strange creatures down here; didn't need the sewers to get anymore unsanitary than they already were. As the water flowed over my hands, I found that my mind began to wander. I hate it when it does that.

"Hey bro?" I looked up to see Michelangelo walking into the kitchen. He had been a little down since we started watching television, and it didn't take a genius to know why. Of course, being a genius surely helps. He had two bowls in his hands, and I could see that they once contained chocolate ice cream. "Mind if I add more to your load?"

I sighed. "Sure Mikey. Why not?" He said nothing as he put the bowls in the sink.

"So," he brought up quietly. "Leo didn't show."

Swallowing hard, I nodded my head. "Yeah, well… he probably couldn't find a flight back." I had meant for it to be a joke, but it seemed to fall flat. I spared Mikey a glance and saw that he didn't feel like laughing. Uh-oh. This could be serious. "Hey… you okay?"

His eyes rose to meet mine. Though we don't really know who was chronologically the eldest or the youngest, I had always looked at Mikey as the youngest brother, the one that we can always turn to for a fresh store of optimism. Though there's no reason to baby him since he's as good of a fighter as I am—if not better—I can't help but think that he needs to be protected. That thought went through my mind right now as I looked into his uncharacteristically sad eyes. "What if he doesn't come back?"

The question hit me hard. I had often wondered that myself, even before Leo's training period expired. I mean, how often do we get to go out and see the world? Maybe the jungles of Central America would make this dinghy little sewer look horrendously unappealing. Maybe there's more to life than leading your brothers into one fruitless battle after the other. After all, how often can you fight evil before you forget what you're fighting for?

"He'll come back," I answered nonetheless. "Honest. I mean, come on… it's _Leo_. Outside of Sensei, he's the only one in the world that we know will _never_ let us down."

"What about Raph?"

I didn't answer right away. I felt that I didn't have to. It's been no secret that Raphael's disappointed me in his unwillingness to let go of his vigilante act. The Shredder was gone. Maybe crime wasn't slowing down, but New York City still had a police force, and _they_ were the law. Now that we've succeeded in defeating our master's old enemy, why wouldn't Raphael just relax and lead the normal life we're entitled to? Well, as normal as it can be, at any rate?

"Yeah, what _about_ Raph?" Mikey and I turned, seeing the brother in question leaning against the wall. One of his sai was out, and he was maneuvering it restlessly. "And think _real_ good about your answer, techie."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Shutting off the water and drying my hands with a dishtowel, I replied, "I'll tell you what about Raph. _Raph_ chooses to believe that just because the team is incomplete, we don't have to follow the rules of teamwork anymore. _Raph_ prefers to sleep until three in the afternoon and then stay out until who-knows-when, fighting a battle that isn't his anymore. _Raph_ thinks that it's more important that he gets his kicks from beating up bad guys instead of becoming a productive member of the workforce for the well-being of his family. How's that, Raph? Did I think 'good' enough for you?"

"Don't push it Donnie," he snarled, pointing his sai at me. "Don't push it. You think that just because Leo's gone, you get to play leader? You're the big bad now, is that it? Well let me tell ya somethin'. You're _wrong_. Smart as you are, you're _wrong_!"

"Wrong about what?" I queried, making sure to keep my voice down so I don't alert Sensei.

"Wrong about everything!" Raphael's voice bellowed out, apparently not taking the pains to think about anything other than releasing his own anger. Typical. "Wrong about me, wrong about Leo, and wrong about this not being our fight. This is _our_ city, Donnie. It's _always_ gonna be our fight."

"This is not 'our' city," I told him levelly. "We don't own it. We just live in it. Heck, we live _below_ it. So we need to live below the radar, too. The only reason we came out of hiding last time was because the Shredder posed a much stronger danger than the police could handle. But now he's gone, and the Foot's disbanded-"

"Don't even play that game, Donnie," Raphael interrupted, storming towards me. "You've been watchin' the news as much as _I_ have; you know that the Foot's still around: in _spirit_. The kids who left the Foot didn't leave their life of crime behind them. They're still out there, and we're sticking it out down here, sittin' on our asses as we wait for the chump who left us behind."

"Raph, I'm _not_ having this conversation with you!" I was surprised by the harsh way the words burst out of my mouth. As trying as he can be, Raphael was still my brother. Leonardo wouldn't snap at him just because he got a little edgy. If that were the case, then Leo would have left the continent ages ago. "Fine, you're angry. Fine, you want to pick a fight. But that has nothing to do with the fact that you can't handle a little responsibility in the wake of Leo's absence! At least Mikey's willing to contribute so I'm not the only person providing for this family." Giving him my shell, I finished with, "Just because Leo was the leader doesn't mean we can't function without him."

"Oh, you took the words straight outta my mouth," Rapael growled darkly.

I could feel his eyes on me, but I said nothing. Finally, I reached over and turned the water back on, meaning to finish with the dishes. I heard Michelangelo sigh before he finally said, "I can use some more ice cream. Anybody want?" He received no answer as he looked into the cupboard just above me. "Huh? …where'd all the bowls go?"

"The sink, maybe?" I remarked sarcastically. Drying off one of the bowls I had just cleaned, I said, "Here, use this. Maybe if someone at least took it upon himself to help with the chores, we wouldn't be having a dishware shortage."

"Donatello!" I flinched when I heard Splinter's voice. Whirling around, I saw that he had entered the kitchen as Raphael sat at the table. "Sit!"

"But Sensei-"

"Sit!"

I gulped. Mikey took the bowl and was about to edge out of the room, but Splinter called him to the table, too. Resigned to a lecture, I shut the tap water off and joined Mikey and Raph at the table.

"I can understand the discontentment that exudes from you, my sons," Splinter told us, slowly pacing around behind us as he spoke. "But this animosity; _that_ is what troubles me most. There are many reasons that may explain why Leonardo is not here at this very moment. I can only hope that none of them involve unforeseen violence. However, in his absence, you are still a family. You walk down different paths and choose to look in different directions, but there is no reason for you to not walk these paths _together_. Is that understood?"

The three of us muttered affirmations. Satisfied with this, Splinter said that he was going to turn in and bade us good night. When he was gone, Raphael stood up. I looked up at him. His eyes were downcast, but that rarely meant that he was remorseful. He was thinking. And when Raphael took the time to think about something, I find that I'm never wholly comfortable.

"I'm goin' out," he finally said. I stood up, asking him where. Putting his sai away, he answered, "I don't see how that concerns you, geek." Apparently not wanting to hear me put up my defenses, he peered at me over his shoulder. "Just going topside. That's all. Even us lazy, unsupportive types gotta get a breath 'a fresh air." Looking to Mikey, he asked, "You wanna come?"

"Sure!" Mikey said, standing up. I was about to profess my disapproval when he asked, "What about you, Don?"

I thought about it for a moment, but Raphael apparently made up my mind for me. "Nah, I'm thinkin' that Donerella's gotta finish her chores before she can go to the ball." A wry glance at him told me that he was joking. It wasn't like Raphael to suddenly become good-natured, so my guards were still up. "We're just gonna run around topside for a bit. You can join us later, if ya rather get the dishes outta the way."

I thought about it. Donerella. Not my favorite of nicknames, but since I knew that no one would do the chores unless I did, I couldn't help but agree. "Fine. Just be careful, okay? I might go out and join you; depends on how I feel when I'm done." I looked back at the pile of dishes, sarcastically stating, "I'm pretty sure I saw something moving in there, and the last thing we want are for any pests to crawl over us as we sleep."

"We don't need no pests," Raphael professed, slapping Michelangelo on the shell. "We got Mikey."

"Hey!" Mikey exclaimed, with a pout. Changing the subject as Raphael put an arm around his shoulders and led him out, Mikey asked, "Are we gonna go pick up Casey?" I couldn't hear Raphael's answer, though the pair offered me a wave before disappearing. Turning back to the sink, I wondered what Raphael was up to.

Knowing him as well as I did, I figured it couldn't be anything good.


	3. Chapter 3

FINALLY some fresh air… I almost forgot what it was like. You can't tell me that Leo doesn't miss this. Now that I was out of the lair, it was time to find these punks and teach them a lesson. This is MY city and I WAS gonna do somethin about it. Don can sit on his ass all he wants and collect all the money that he wants like the greedy bastard that he is. The money goes to the t.v. and our sofa… HA! It's for him to buy more of that high tech shit because he doesn't have a life. So what if the Shredder was dead? It didn't mean that the Foot was gonna go away so quickly.

I led Mikey through the alleys towards Lower Manhattan… Chinatown. If any there was gonna be trouble tonight, Chinatown was the place to be at. I decided against it tonight to grab Casey. All I needed was for April to rat on us. Ever since Casey and April started to live together, it was getting harder and harder for Casey to sneak out with me. He never wanted to leave her. Spring Street… ha, I was getting closer. I bet my shell that there was gonna be trouble tonight… I could feel it in the air.

"Uh, Raph, I thought we were gonna get Casey?" Mikey asked behind me.

"Not tonight, Mikey. Tonight is OUR night." I stopped and gave my younger brother a cocky grin.

"Our night for what?" Mikey asked in confusion, tilting his head to the side.

"You know those comics you read, Mikey?" I asked as I kept my eyes peeled. Come on, where were they?

"Yeah?"

"Well tonight we are going to get the bad guys." I smiled to him then looked around.

"Uh, but I thought Donnie said…."

"FORGET what Don said okay?" I snapped back. I was getting tired of being controlled. Don had no authority over me or any of us.

As I looked towards an alley about a block away from us, I saw a black-clothed figure. No, it couldn't be… was that a Foot ninja? I grabbed Mikey's arm and dragged him with me as I climbed up the building's side ladder to get to the roof. I had to get to that alley. I was not losing him! As I ran, I noticed that Mikey was getting further behind me. "Move your shell, Mikey!" I didn't slow my pace. I felt the adrenaline flowing in my veins… just like old times. These guys kicked my shell before at April's apartment and it was time for some payback… MY way.

Forgetting about Mikey, I jumped down from the next building, grabbing the fire escape ladder, flipping in the air, then landing inside the alley. Man, am I good. It was even better that I was right—it WAS a Foot Ninja… and not just one Foot Ninja. 5 of them. "Well look who it is."

"It's one of those freaks." One of the ninja spoke… were they shocked to see me? They should be. I noticed that Mikey landed beside me.

I motioned to my younger brother. "That's 2... and Daddy ain't here to save you now, is he?" I smirked as I took out my sais.

The ninjas faced my bro and I….man these guys really didn't want to live, now did they? "You will not get rid of the Foot so quickly," the lead ninja replied as he took out his katana. "We will avenge his death, starting with your father."

I glared at him. It was one thing to threaten me… and one thing to threaten my bros… but NEVER threaten my father. "Well I know which one you to hurt first." I growled as I gripped my sais tighter.

The lead ninja looked at the others, and motioned him with a hand sign. Now what the hell were they up to? "Look, I ain't got all night for your little sign language." I was losing my patience with these dipsticks… it was bad enough that Don already pissed me off today. Heh, bad luck for these losers.

"We shall see if you can beat me, freak," the lead ninja taunted as he motioned me to follow. He and another Foot Ninja quickly jumped up to the top of the fire escape to the roof of the building. The 3 other ninja stayed where they were with their weapons drawn.

Why the hell did they split up like that? If that stupid ninja thinks I can't take him on by myself, then he's about as stupid as Leo is for staying in the jungle. I was sure that Mikey could handle the 3 remaining ninja. I had no doubts about leaving him as I pursued the leader.

When I reached the roof, he was already waiting for me with his weapons drawn towards the other end of the building. His pal was standing beside him. So much for this guy fighting on his own….I knew it. "So you gonna fight or you gonna let your girlfriend help you?" I asked as I pointed to the other ninja with my right sai.

The ninja never responded as he ran towards me with his weapon poised. Heh…I must have hit a nerve. As he was approaching, I noticed that the other ninja had jumped from where he was towards the back of me. Man….these guys must have been novices…did they really think they could trap me like this? I ducked the main ninja's attack pretty easily….then kicked the other ninja as he tried to move up from behind.

The leader seemed almost shocked that I dodged his attack as he seemed to hesitate to strike again. I looked back to see the other ninja stayed where he was on the ground… heh… that punk was not moving. I focused all my attention on the main one. "It's just you and me now." I grinned as I waited for him to attack.

He ran towards me again and sloppily slashed at me with his sword. I was done toying around. I moved into position and struck him with an upper cut, sending him flying back onto the roof. So much for a good workout tonight. I placed my sais back in my belt and walked over to him. The guy groaned as I approached. I could tell he was hurting. I reached down and pulled him up, removing his mask. There in front of me was a kid… probably around his teens… but STILL a kid… a fuckin kid… a kid with a pretty good whelp on his chin. Becoming disgusted, I dropped him back on the roof. "Go home."

I think instead of making me feel better… it made things worse. The criminals in this city were no longer just some lowlife men…. they were teenagers… probably even younger than this. If something wasn't done soon about the crime in this city, 8 year olds were gonna be murderers. Walking back to the roof edge to grab my younger brother, I looked down and saw him lying on the ground, very bruised up. What the hell happened to him??? "MIKEY!" I yelled with concern as I jumped down quickly to the alley.

Mikey groaned as he sat up, holding his head. "Sure, Raph, you get the easy ones."

"What the hell, Mikey? Those punks were easy."

"Yeah… but I think the punks I fought brought their whole family along. As soon as you left, bro… 5 more showed up…. They totally kicked my shell…. Ugh, I hurt all over."

I helped him up. Man, he did look terrible. There was a horrible bruise on the side of his head along with several bruises on his arms. It was a frickin trick. I KNEW it! That Foot ninja most have had something planned. So much for feeling bad for that lousy punk.

"Raph, can I go home now?" Mikey asked as he rubbed his head.

"Yeah, let's go home." I sighed. Man, this really screwed things up… not only was I pissed off more about the Foot, but now Don's gonna see Mike's bruises and start his bitching again. I just hoped that he was already asleep or not in the same room when we get back. It better wait till the morning because if he dares start up with me tonight, I swear I will put him in his place. 


	4. Chapter 4

After doing the dishes and cleaning up the living room, I collapsed in my chair at my computer.

I had sent April an e-mail earlier on, telling her that Leonardo still wasn't back. Her response made me crack a smile. "Cheer up! It could be worse!" I was smiling because I noticed that she didn't explain _how_ things could be worse. She didn't need to use emoticons or anything else to relay to me that this was meant to be a joke. We knew each other well enough to practically be able to read one another's minds.

With a sigh, I opened up a game of free cell. With Leo gone and Splinter in bed and Raphael growing more distant while taking Mikey along for the ride, April was my only real contact. Well, her and the two million people who called me on the tech support line every day. The point is, things have started to get pretty lonely around the lair. I never thought that our entire way of life would be disrupted just by one brother being gone for a few hours longer than we thought he would.

I remembered about Raphael proclaiming that Leo had abandoned us, and I furrowed my brow in disdain. Raphael was wrong. He let anger blind him… _again_. There could be a million other reasons why Leo wasn't back yet. Maybe he met a group of people that needed his help. Maybe he lost track of the days and would be a few days late. Maybe—and this was the maybe that made me the most angry at Raphael—Leo was hurt. Just because Leo was our leader doesn't mean that he's indestructible. He could have very well encountered some danger out there in Central America that could have been too much for him to handle. After all, it's a jungle out there.

Ooh, look. I made a funny.

"Ugh, this is pointless," I murmured, resting my forehead down on what little of my desk wasn't occupied by equipment. I didn't know exactly what it was that I considered pointless, or _why_ it was pointless to begin with, but I needed to say it. Maybe I just needed to hear someone say something out loud. It could start to grate on a guy, hearing nothing except computer complaints, angry outbursts, corny jokes, and lectures all day. Had we really fallen apart so badly just because of Leo's departure?

"Leo," I whispered, "why you? Why were you given all of the balance? Why do we need you so much… and why can't I be what this family needs me to be while you're gone? That's what it comes down to, isn't it? I'm not trying to take your place, but someone needs to keep Raphael in check." Swallowing with difficulty, I silently hoped that there _was_ no empty place to try to take up.

I switched my computer into hibernate mode, letting the darkness wash over me. "He won't listen to me," I breathed. I realized that my nighttime discourse sounded dismally akin to a one-sided conversation a person may have with a recently-deceased loved one. "No matter what I do, no matter what I say, Raphael just won't listen. He listened to you, Leo. He might have yelled and argued and pushed, but he almost always did as you asked. Because he always knew you were right. So why won't he do the same for me? Could it be that… that I'm wrong? That Raphael knew what he was talking about earlier in the kitchen and that I'm… _wrong_? I don't mind so much being wrong, Leo… I just wish I had enough foresight to be able to tell when I'm mistaken. Raphael's wrong so much of the time… but at least he _knows_ he's wrong. And that counts for something, right? 'In the land of the blind, the one-eyed turtle is king.'"

I laughed as I sat up and shook my head. "You'd think I was performing a monologue," I said, a little louder. Standing up, I remarked, "And yet, that doesn't stop me from doing it. Well, they always said that genius breeds insanity."

Adult Swim would help me relax. Adult Swim and a can of soda, along with the leftover chips I saw earlier in the cupboard. Cartoons, caffeine, and carbohydrates? Oy vey, I'm becoming another Mikey. Chuckling to myself, I turned on a small lamp and made my way to the kitchen.

As I was gathering the soda and chips, I heard someone entering the lair. Figuring that I'd need to get the bigger bag of chips because Mikey was liable to hog the majority of them, I went back to the cupboard. I heard a heavy thud in the main room and flinched. Leave it to Raph to bang around out there while Sensei was trying to sleep.

I heard someone coming up behind me and was about to say something as I closed the cupboard. Someone's hand covered my mouth though, scaring me with its implications. Even when I heard Raph's voice, I couldn't relax. "Don't say a word, Donnie. Not one… freakin'… word. Do ya understand me?"

Uncertain, I nodded my head. He paused for a moment before telling me, "I wouldn't ordinarily tell ya this, but I need ya to look to make sure it ain't too bad. Me 'n Mikey got into a little scuffle with some goons outside. You're gonna look him over and patch him up, and you ain't gonna breathe one word of this to Splinter. Do ya hear me?"

Hearing that Mikey's been hurt, I tried to say something, causing Raphael to clamp his hand tighter over my mouth. "Y'know, the next time you tell me somethin' about me not followin' orders," he said, "I'll remind ya about that sayin' about the pot callin' the kettle black."

I pulled myself away from him and asked in a hurried whisper how bad Mikey was. Pulling me out of the kitchen, he muttered, "Less talk, more medic." Seeing Raphael's lack of answer as a need for urgency, I sped out after him.

In the dim light, I could see that Mikey was strewn on the sofa, badly beaten and bruised. The only good thing about his condition was that he was still conscious, but that also meant that he was in pain. "Oh hell," I uttered, stunned. "Oh… oh hell."

Mikey propped his head up at the sound of my voice. Even as Raphael shushed me, Mikey offered me a lopsided grin. "No offense bro," he told me woozily, "but at this angle, _you're_ not likely to win a beauty contest anytime soon, either."

I ran over to Mikey and knelt besides him. Unable to see anything, I told Raphael, "Turn on the light!"

"What, and wake up Splinter? Forget it!"

"Raph, turn on-"

"You keep a flashlight in your desk, right?" Raphael asked, already headed for my workspace. "And that's where your first aid kit is, too, right? So I'll kill two birds with one stone and Splinter's none the wiser."

Glaring at him, I asked, "Have you been prying through my desk?"

"Yes," he answered curtly, routing through the drawers. "If ya wanna make something of it, then go ahead 'n do it _after_ you take a look at Mikey." He came back with the first aid kit, switching on the flashlight. "_He's_ the important one right now."

"Shucks," Mikey murmured, his eyes drooping. "You guys sure know how to make a guy feel loved." Oh crud. A concussion. Please, not a concussion. Taking the flashlight away from Raphael, I was able to ascertain that yes, it was a concussion. Thankfully, it was a very minor one.

Spotting a cut on the side of his head, I opened the med supplies and asked how this happened. Raph told me about how they found a group of suspicious-looking figures and were forced into a fight. He managed to get off relatively easily, but Mikey got ambushed. "And hey, guess what, darlin' brother o' mine?" Crouching besides me, Raphael told me, "They were Foot ninjas."

Blinking up at him, I asked, "The Foot?" He nodded. I shook my head and returned my attention to Mikey's wounds. "I don't believe that. The Foot disbanded months ago-"

"The Shredder _died_ months ago," Raphael corrected. "Nobody ever said that the Foot broke up. The first time we thought we creamed the Shredder, turned out there was still some secret store of Foot hidin' out somewhere. Why can't it be like that now?"

"Raph," I told him, putting a small bandage on Mikey's cut after disinfecting it. "Get real. Without a strong figurehead… I mean, who's going to organize a gang like the Foot? What you saw tonight were probably a bunch of copycats, especially if they did this to Mikey through sheer numbers rather than skill."

"Okay, so they're sloppier than we remember," Raphael admitted. Though he succeeded in not raising his voice, his argument became more heated. "But I'm tellin' you, they were still the Foot! Had the symbol 'n everything. They looked a little different, but they're the same old garbage in a shiny new package. Maybe the Foot's a whole lot bigger than we gave it credit for. Maybe… maybe it's a real professional crime syndicate with a hierarchy that we don't even know about it. Remember, they were big in Japan for _centuries_-"

"Major crime syndicate?" I interrupted. "Raphael, are you for real? You're comparing your common street thugs to a Japanese mafia?! We have no yakuza here in New York City, Raph."

"Yeah?" Raphael countered, standing up. "Lemme tell ya somethin', Donnie. I'd bet my shell that there are people in Tokyo who want to believe the same thing about _their_ city. But it don't matter what you _wanna_ believe, bro. The Foot's out there. And if you're not going to help take care 'a them, then maybe you're no better than the Foot themselves."

I stopped, realizing that his words were a veiled threat. Glancing up at him, I asked, "And what, Raphael, are you planning on doing to the people who aren't better than the Foot themselves?"

"What do ya think?" As he spoke, Raphael's hands seemed to subconsciously go for the hilt of his sai. "Take 'em out with the rest 'a the trash."

Laying my flashlight down, I glared up at him. In the dimness of the room, he seemed like nothing more than a shadow. In the end, that's all he was to me now. Not a brother. Just a shadow of that person I had grown up with. A very _annoying_ shadow.

Rising, I looked him in the eye. "I thought you said Mikey was the important one here, Raph. But I guess that's not true, is it? It's all about you and your little vendettas. All about you and the fact that you can't run away from your anger. All about you and the fact that you can't _stand_ knowing that you have faults."

"Shut up," he hissed, doing extraordinarily well with keeping quiet. He probably didn't want to face the major trouble he'd be in with Splinter if he woke up and found out what had happened. "Just shut up, Don! Or so help me God—or whatever other deity's in charge 'a this world—I'm gonna take my sai and ram it so far up your-"

"Woo, guys," Michelangelo said weakly. The two of us looked down at him as he attempted to sit up. "Everything's all fuzzy." He grabbed onto me in his attempt to make it up to his feet. "Heh. You smell like yellow."

With a weak sound, Mikey's knees went out from under him. I quickly helped him up and encouraged him to remain conscious until the concussion passed. Raphael moved in, meaning to help me with him, but I stepped away. With a grunt, I managed to lift Mikey up and turned around. As I headed to Mikey's room, I left Raphael with the following words:

"Get some sleep Raph. Because tomorrow, I'm going to rip you a new one."


	5. Chapter 5

Man… Don just pisses me off sometimes. Was he actually trying to threaten me? Did he really think he could kick my shell? What a laugh… beaten by the nerd… yeah, that will never happen. I went back into my room, leaving Mikey with Don. Honestly, I was no help right now and if I stayed another minute in the same room as Don, something was going to happen… and I REALLY didn't want Splinter to find out about this. Man, what the hell was Mikey thinkin'? Ya know there is such a thing as calling for help. Geez. Now I have to think of somethin' to keep Mikey away durin' the day to make sure that Splinter wouldn't see him.

Still….the Foot hurt my bro and THAT was somethin' I wasn't goin' to let go of even if nerd boy disagreed with it. Mikey had to know where they went….but I wasn't goin' to ask him in front of Don. I decided to stay in my room for the time being, till Don left Mikey. He wouldn't stay up forever.

Later on that night, I felt myself dozin' off. I slapped my face to wake myself back up and looked at my alarm clock. 3am. Two more hours and Sensei would be up. Don couldn't be awake still and I WAS right. I looked down from my room and saw that all the lights were off. Don was nowhere to be found. Good, he went to his room.

I jumped against the side wall and landed on my feet on the main floor of our lair. So far, so good. Hesitating one more second to make sure no one was up, I made a quick dash to Mikey's room. The room was partly lit due to the light of his fish tank, which was good because then I wouldn't be stumblin' around in the dark.

Mikey was on his right side, snoring away. Still mumbling in his sleep like always. I glanced back at the door of the room to make sure no one was looking in, then looked back at my sleeping brother. "Psst, Mikey." I said, keeping my voice down as low as I could. No response, he didn't even stir. God, what a heavy sleeper. "Psst, Mikey! Wake up!" I said, still keeping my voice low.

Mikey made a little whine noise in his sleep and struck up in the air with his fist in aggravation. "You can't have this comic, Casey," he muttered, "…it's mine." He then rolled back over on his other side. Would he just wake up already?!

I had about enough. I shook him a little on the arm with my right hand. "Mikey! Open your eyes."

He turned around and looked at me for a second, then rubbed his eye. "Raph… that you? Is it time to get up already? Ugh… I don't wanna." He whined again and rolled back over.

"Look," I said, losing my patience at this point. I grabbed him and pulled him back around to face me. "You got the 4-1-1 on the Foot Ninja?"

"What..? 4-…what?" Mikey asked. I could tell he was still very tired. I hope Don didn't dope him up with anything.

"Info, Mikey. Sheesh."

"They said something about going back to the warehouse….I don't remember. Can I go back to sleep now?" He started to turn over again.

Now I was getting something. Warehouse. "What else did they say? Did they say where this place is?" I grabbed his arm, stopping him from turning over.

"Battery Park… maybe it was near Central Park… maybe it was in Jersey… I can't remember… my head hurts…." Okay, I didn't know who was pissin' me off more… him or Don.

"I'll REALLY make your head hurt, Mikey. Now quit foolin' around already," I growled loudly as I grabbed his arm tighter.

"That sounds like a threat, Raphael. Would you really strike an injured brother? Wow, that's very caring of you," a voice said from behind me. I recognized it too easily. It was Donatello. Here he was again, butting into my business.

I didn't even face him as I spoke him. "This doesn't concern you, Don, so stay out of this."

"Oh… I think it DOES concern me, Raph. Because Mikey is my brother too… and it's your fault that he's injured. You just HAD to go out and play vigilante. That's very… Neanderthal of you."

I balled my fists up as he spoke. "I ain't tellin' ya again, Donnie. Stay out of this." I then looked back at Mikey who laid there silently. "Okay, Mikey. Answer me and stop playin' around. Where is that place at?"

"Raph, didn't you hear what I said?" Don asked. I felt his arm grabbing onto mine in an attempt to pull me away from Mikey. That's when I lost it. I wheeled around to push him away but he must have been moving towards me at the same time, because when I shoved him, he fell back pretty hard against the wall. He was off balance so it looked like I REALLY pushed him, which I didn't really mean to do. It's his own damn fault for trying to get me away from Mikey.

I heard his shell crack against the wall from the impact. He stumbled a little and then stood back up. His eyes were slits as he looked back at me. I never seen him this tense before… it was almost pretty scary. "Alright, Raph, I'm sick of this. I'm not going to let your stupidity hurt the rest of us. Let's go. Right now." He got into a defensive position. Was he really serious on fighting me?

I laughed. "Oh, that's cute. The nerd is REALLY gonna fight for once. Listen, Don, we all know you ain't a fighter so quit tryin' to act all big and bad." I waved him off. "Now go back and play with your little computer."

"I'm serious, Raph," he replied. "I am _not_ playing around anymore." I could tell by the rising volume of his voice that he was pretty damn serious.

"Fine… but if I wipe the floor with you—which I WILL—I don't wanna hear you cryin' to Splinter about it. Got it?"

"Guys… come on. Don't fight," I heard Mikey protest, but I blocked him out. Don thinks he can fight me…then fine. I'm all for it.

I stayed where I was for a while… Don stood where he was; he wasn't making a move. I guess he wanted me to strike first. Fine by me. I lashed out at him with my fist, only to have it blocked by him. I saw my opening… ha, this was gonna be easy. As soon as he blocked me, he let his guard down, leaving his entire front open. I pulled my right arm back and struck him in the face with a right hook. He stumbled back and I could see him touching his face. Judging by the red mark, I got him pretty good. I saw tears in his eyes, probably from the pain.

"What… you gonna cry now, Don?" I teased.

He didn't answer me; instead, he struck at me with his fist. I blocked it pretty easily. But then he did a low sweep, which I was not expecting, causing me to fall to the floor—pretty hard, too. I glared back up at him from the floor and he only returned my glare with a smirk… a pretty damn cocky one.

"That's it," I growled as I got up on my feet. I rushed towards him, throwing my body against his as hard as I could. Both of us collided hard against the wall. I had him pinned and I struck his side a couple of times with my fist. At this point, I pretty much didn't care about fighting fair. To me, at this point, Don was no longer my brother… but just another street punk whose ass I had to kick.

"Guys! Stop it! Will you?" I heard Mikey beg again, but louder. He was getting pretty riled up himself.

"Had enough, nerd?" I hissed, grinning back at Don. There was so much fire in his eyes. I guess I let up my guard too much, because he had somehow freed part of his body to where he was able to kick me pretty hard in the center of my plastron. I tumbled back some from the strike and fell back against something… or rather, some_one_.

Apparently Mikey had gotten up to try to stop us and was in my path when I fell over. I fell on top of him, his body pinned down on the floor from mine. "OW! Get off, Raph!" Mikey groaned out loudly.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" I heard another voice shout out… a voice I REALLY didn't want to hear.

I winced as I looked over slowly. I knew who it was, and I REALLY didn't want to see the look he gave me. Master Splinter was standing in the doorway to Mikey's room. Man, I never seen him be so steamed, not even when Leo and I fight.

"Raphael," he commanded, "get off of your brother, this instant!"

I got off of Mikey and stayed where I was. Master Splinter walked inside the room. The sound of his walking stick hitting the floor made me wince with each step. I looked over at Don, who stayed where he was; he still looked pretty pissed. I wanted to see what he would say… it's his own damn fault for starting this fight. He should have just minded his damn business like I keep tellin' him. "I am very disappointed in you both," Splinter continued as he made his way over to the center of the room. "Donatello… this is not like you." HA! I knew it! Donnie was gonna get in trouble! I would like to see the genius talk his way out of this one.

"I'm sorry, Master Splinter," Donatello began, his voice soft. "Raph went out earlier with Mikey and-"

"Oh, no. Don't be blamin' me for this, Donnie," I interrupted him. There was no way in hell that he was gonna blame me for startin' this fight. "I told you to stay out of this."

"Raph!" He snapped back at me, glaring. "How can you stand there and argue against me? Look at OUR brother. Look what you caused tonight!" He motioned to Mikey, who was still sitting where he was on the floor.

"What the FOOT did, Don. Look, I got things to do. So just stay out of this." I stormed out of Mikey's room. I didn't care if I would get in trouble later on with Splinter. Don was not thinking right for once… and I had to find out more about the Foot. They weren't going to get away with hurtin' my brother. I decided to check out the warehouse docks near Battery Park. I was findin' out answers tonight. 


	6. Chapter 6

"Donatello! Inside!"

I stopped at the sound of Sensei's voice. I had gone to grab an ice pack for my side and was passing by Sensei's room on my way to talk to Mikey. "Sensei, I-" I began, but he cut me off and repeated his command. Defeated, I bowed my head and went into his room, closing the door behind me.

"Kneel." I walked over to him and followed his orders. I could feel his stern eyes on me, but I didn't dare look up. "Long have we known of Raphael's tendency towards violence," he told me. "But you have always been one to value the strength of the mind, not the body. It does not matter to me who 'started' it or whose fault it is; I only wish to know the truth behind why you and your brother have come to blows, and why Michelangelo appears the worse for wear."

I gulped quietly. I still didn't see any of this as my fault, since I didn't _do_ anything… but what would he say when he learns that I had just let Raphael go out? "They went out," I finally replied. "Raph and Mikey. After you turned in, Raph said he needed a breath of fresh air. They invited me along, but I wanted to finish cleaning up after dinner. They got back a couple of hours later, and Mikey was badly hurt. Raph said it was the F…."

I trailed off, not really wanting to tell Splinter about the Foot's possible involvement. Still, I already started, and I'm a pretty terrible liar. "He thinks the Foot Clan is involved. They were wearing their symbols and Raph claims they were goaded into a fight. But we know Raph; he never needs much motivation to start beating on someone he doesn't like."

The last words left my mouth rather bitterly. I looked up to see that Splinter's eyes were downcast. He was no doubt processing the information about the Foot's reemergence. It surprised me, then, when he said, "And so I am to gather that Raphael had no motivation to engage you in combat?"

"He pushed me!" I blurted out. "He was hassling Mikey—at _this_ hour—and I was trying to pull him away. But then he—"  
"Silence!" I snapped my mouth shut at Splinter's command. "As I have said, I do not care who started the physical aspect of the fight. What matters is that there _was_ a fight. You allowed yourself to succumb to anger, a trait that you yourself have regarded with disdain within Raphael. And in the process, you managed to cause a potentially serious injury to your already-wounded brother."

As I looked down again in shame, Splinter sighed deeply. "I did not expect Leonardo's absence to go by without any sort of complications. Nor did I expect for you to become another Leonardo. Your strengths—as do your brothers'—lie elsewhere, hence why the four of you work exceedingly well with one another. But just because this team is broken, do not accept that the bonds between you must be so. You are still brothers, and you owe it to the rest of your family to behave as you always have. It is your temperance and intelligence that must now lead them, Donatello—_not_ someone else's anger and pride."

That was it? His wise advice? Be yourself? I found myself annoyed by my own cynicism, deciding that my reaction to his words only proved him right. "Yes, Master Splinter," I told him. "I apologize for my rashness. May I go check in on Mikey now?"

Splinter excused me, and I scampered out of the room. What was I supposed to think about that? Stay the same? Never change? When every other aspect of our life has changed, I was supposed to react by simply keeping my face buried in a computer? I would have kicked something in my frustration, but the pain in my side reminded me that I already did.

Peering in through the open door of Mikey's room, I called, "Mikey?" I had helped him back onto the bed after Raphael stormed off. After the beating he took and getting squashed underneath Raph's shell, I fully expected him to be asleep.

I was surprised when I saw his head move in the darkness. "Hn? Oh, hi Donnie." I stepped into the room, careful not to stumble over any of his mess. "Splinter chew you out?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Kinda. He told me that he doesn't expect me to be another Leo… yet he still implied that it was up to me to be the leader. I'm starting to think that he's not thinking too clearly in his old age."

"Haw," Mikey laughed. "How much you willing to give me to make sure that he never knows you said that?" I responded with a quiet laugh as I approached his bed.

"I'm sorry you got hurt," I told him. "Really, I didn't mean for Raph to fall on top of you like that. You should have stayed in bed instead of trying to save my shell. I was doing fine."

"Shucks," he murmured, "I thought you was the smart one, Donnie." Though I doubt that he could see my quizzical expression in the darkness, he explained, "Getting a muscle-bound maniac thrown at me isn't what hurt. What hurt was seeing the two of you fight. _That's_ why I got up. I didn't care so much who was winning or losing. I just wanted the two of you to stop."

His words made me feel ashamed once again. Some temporary leader I turned out to be. Leonardo's gone less than twenty-four hours longer than we had anticipated, and I'm already meeting Raphael on his level, upsetting Michelangelo in the process. With a sigh, I reach out and gingerly pat his head. "You're a good kid, Mikey."

"I've got my moments," he confessed.

Withdrawing from him, I said, "I guess I should be the bigger turtle and try to make amends with the hothead, huh? Any idea where he ran off to?" He didn't answer me for a long time. "Mikey?" I thought he had fallen asleep, but it seemed like he took my inquiring voice as something else.

"Sorry Donnie," he replied meekly. "He wanted to know." I asked him what he was talking about. He answered, "I told him that I overheard the Foot saying that they had a base in Battery Park-" It seemed like he was going to say more, but I didn't stick around to listen. Even as he called out my name, I sped out of the room.

There was _no_ way I was going to let another brother get hurt tonight.

* * *

Going to the headquarters of an old enemy by yourself in the middle of the night is stupid. 

And that was exactly how I knew where Raph was. As I zipped across the rooftops in an impromptu recon attempt, I ignored my sleepiness and the growing aches and pains that Raphael had just imparted on me. _Why_ am I doing this again? Oh right. Because Sensei will shame me into an early grave if I just stood back and let something happen to Raphael.

Scaling a particularly large building, I realized that this was hardly the case. I'm out here because Raph—despite the fact that we couldn't be more different if we _tried_—was my brother. And he's been beaten into an unconscious pulp by the Foot Clan before. And that was back when we had Leo, Mikey, _and_ Casey fighting with us, with April watching over him. Yeah, there's not much that he's going to be able to-

When I reached my hand out for the ledge of the roof, I was surprised to feel a strong hand grip my arm. Before I could even cry out, I'm pulled over the ledge and end up slamming onto the ground. Dazed, I roll over to face my attacker. Surprise, surprise, it's Raph.

I jumped to my feet and unsheathed my bo. He laughs at me, though there's not a shred of humor in it. "Nice, little boy," he told me. "Came to get me in a new arena and without a referee?"

"Well done, Raphael," I remarked, steadying myself in a defensive position. "You got me angry. Got me to shake off my caution and actually fight you. You got what you wanted. Was it worth getting Mikey hurt?"

"Hey!" Raphael barked out. "You're actin' like I _planned_ on gettin' ambushed! I'm tellin' ya, it ain't my fault! Mikey coulda called for help, he coulda run away; but he _didn't_."

"So you're rubbing off on him," I interrupted, already knowing that I was being too aggressive for my own good. "Fantastic. Are you going to teach him how to make life a living hell for everyone around him, too?"

With that, Raphael withdrew his sai. "Okay, buddy boy," he snarled. "It's gettin' pretty clear that I didn't hurt ya bad enough before and ya came to look for a rematch."

"What a shocker, but you're _wrong_," I told him through gritted teeth. "I came looking for you to make sure that I don't have to end up performing surgery on you in the morning. That is, if we can find all of the _pieces_ of you after the Foot's through."

"What, you think I can't handle myself?"

"What qualifies as 'handling yourself,' Raph?" I asked, noticing that he had begun to try to circle around me. Countering his movement, I pressed on. "Is it something like the way you handled Mikey? Or is it like the way you handled the Foot on April's rooftop all those years ago? How many days were you unconscious, O Reckless One?"

"That was a long time ago!" Raphael broke in, pointing one of his sai at me. "You've got a lot 'a nerve bringin' that up, nerd boy! I don't remember _you_ doin' too good against them back then, either!"

"Considering the beating you took, it's a miracle you remember anything at _all_!" It took an extraordinary amount of willpower to keep my voice from rising, but I could already catch some of my words bouncing off into the night. "A severe memory lapse may just be at the root of all of your problems; it would certainly explain why you insist on going out and repeating the same mistakes twice in one night."

"My only mistake," Raphael said lowly, "was goin' easy on ya in Mikey's room. And trust me, I learned from _that_ one real quick."

With that, he lunged at me. I wanted to hit him across the face with my bo, to just watch as I drew some blood or at least struck him senseless. Remembering Splinter's words to me, though, I opted for my more customary defensive moves and leapt away from him. "Raph," I told him as he continued to make for me. "If I have to immobilize you to get you to come back home with me and drop this craziness, then I won't hesitate to do so."

He laughed again even as he continually swung at me with his sai, forcing me to constantly jump back. "Really? What ya gonna do? Dope me up 'n carry me home?"

His eyes widened as he felt a sudden pinch on his arm. He didn't see me take out a small needle from a case in my belt until I had already jabbed him with it. "Congratulations, Raph," I tell him quietly. "For once in your life, you're absolutely right."

As I pulled the needle out, he blinked at me in both rage and shock. "Y… ya wouldn't," he stuttered. "Ya… did ya just… what the hell did ya stick in me?!"

"I'd tell you the name, but there's no way you'd remember it," I said as I put the needle away and sheathed my bo. "To put it simply, it's a very diluted tranquilizer. It won't put you out, since I'd much rather _not_ carry you all the way home. But you're going to feel way too woozy to give me much trouble."

"Oh," Raphael growled, "if that's what ya think, then you'd better _pray_ that it starts workin' soon." He made for me again, but I easily sidestepped him as he tripped over his own feet. Moaning on the floor, he released his grip on his sai.

"I don't have to pray," I tell him simply, moving to help him up. "I just let science take its course. Come on, Raph. You'll feel better once we're home and you're snoring away in your bed."

He let me pull him part of the way up, but stopped suddenly, his eyes looking past me. Not putting it past him to try and get me to turn around just so he can get a cheap shot in, I continued my attempts to get him up. I stopped when he spoke up. "Somethin's tellin' me that neither of us are gonna be snorin' in bed for a while, Donnie."

Confused, I spared a glance behind me. That's when I stopped attempting to get Raphael to his feet. "Oh, crap," I muttered as I saw the dozen or so Foot ninjas that had gathered behind me.

With a loud grunt, Raphael took his sai and staggered to his feet. Shaking his head, he reproachfully told me, "Ya couldn't wait just a couple more minutes before shootin' me up with your crazy drugs, could ya? Ya couldn't just fight like a turtle instead 'a takin' the easy 'scientific' way out, _could ya_?!"

"Technically," I replied, getting my bo out once again, "turtles are known for their defensive postures rather than offensive, so I _was_ fighting like a turtle."

"Oh, shut up," he snapped. "Point is, if I get my shell waxed, this is _your_ fault!"

"Right," I returned. "Because I'm sure that, if you were fully conscious, you could take on twelve Foot ninjas all on your own." Another shadowy figure jumped onto the rooftop, seemingly from nowhere. "Make that thirteen."

"A group that is so skilled in ninjutsu," said an unfamiliar female voice, "should be better trained in the areas of stealth. Your clan leader would be most dishonored."

"Since when did the Foot start takin' in chicks?" Raphael asked. "Or were they just _that_ desperate for applications after the Shredder got his tin butt kicked to Hurtsville?"

"Raph," I interceded quietly, "_not_ the best time to make chauvinistic remarks." When the woman withdrew a long straight sword and walked towards us, I mentioned, "See?"

"The Shredder was a great leader," she insisted patiently as she walked into the moonlight. "And where he fell, I have risen. You and your companions opened the door to his downfall. As such, it will be the first order of the newly-reformed Foot Clan to eliminate you, starting with your decrepit _rat_."

"Let me guess," Raphael remarked. "This is the part where ya tell us that if we don't tell ya where the rest of us are, you're gonna make us wish we were never born. Thanks, lady, but until the bad guys can come up with more original offers, I don't suggest ya wastin' ya breath." Despite his haughty exterior, I could tell that Raph's voice was starting to get a little garbled. The tranquilizer was working. I was only thankful that I made sure it was a very weak concentration and should wear off in the twenty minutes or so that it would have taken us to get home.

"What I have come to 'offer," she continued in her strangely calm tone, "is something of a temporary truce. I have received word that two of yours attacked my men earlier tonight. Since our business does not yet concern you, I would rather you stay out of our way. In return, we will not kill you where you stand."

Raphael laughed again. Thanks, Brother Dearest—I'm _really_ looking forward to what happens when this woman snaps. "Yeah right," he told her. "We're just gonna stand back and let ya gather your strength so that when your business _does_ 'concern us,' you can go ahead 'n annihilate us before we know what happened. I don't know about Mr. Second-in-Command here, but _I_ prefer to see death comin' from a long way off. What do ya say, Donnie?"

"Me?" I laughed nervously. "Oh, I don't know. Personally, I'd rather not die at all." With that, I threw down a handful of smoke pellets that I had discreetly gotten out. Before Raph knew what was going on, I grabbed his arm and pulled him away, jumping for the next building over.

I didn't know how far we would be able to make it with Raph drugged up and thirteen ninjas on our tails, but I was determined to at least _try_ to get away.


	7. Chapter 7

I really don't know what the hell Don did to me….but I wasn't feeling all that well. Every muscle in my body felt like it didn't want to move at all. I sometimes drink with Casey and I never got THIS bad. I always thought Donnie was weird….but now he was REALLY creepin' me out. Definitely a mad scientist. I tried my best to keep up with my brother as we jumped from rooftop to rooftop, but my legs were just not workin'! "Donnie…I ain't some old lady. I don't need you to carry me." I tried to shrug him away as he helped me. There was no way in hell that my puny brother was gonna save me from the Foot. "I can take care of myself."

"Sure you can, Raph," Don said back sarcastically as he continued to hold onto me. Did he really think he was going to save both our shells from the Foot? And who the heck was that lady?

Finally Don stopped at the edge of a 3-story apartment building. Heh, must be one of the short buildings in New York. I managed to turn around to see the Foot a few buildings back. I don't know how Donnie was able to get that far ahead of them, but they were gettin' closer. These guys definitely were not messin' around. Damn Don, druggin' me. If he wasn't such a mad scientist, we would never have to run away! I HATE runnin' away. I heard my brother curse under his breath. I knew he was runnin' out of ideas. I scanned the road below. No cars. Pretty quiet. Luckily we were in the one of the bad part of towns. Not many pedestrians. "Look, Don, there's a manhole. Let's just go home." I pointed down to the manhole in the middle of the road. "There ain't anyone comin'."

"Oh, sure," Don replied as he looked at me sternly. "Didn't you learn your lesson the _last_ time you led the Foot to our lair?"

I scowled some by his response. Why did he HAVE to bring that up? I remember when I saved April years ago from the Foot in the subway. I took her back to our lair to have safety. I didn't know that the Foot was trailin' me. They did and they kidnapped Master Splinter… we almost didn't get him back. "Well, just leave me here then. You ain't goin' to get far with me taggin' along with you." I looked back and saw the Foot getting closer. We had to do somethin' now or we were gonna have to fight. "Donnie, just ditch me will ya?" I tried to shove my brother away. He was just gonna stand here like an idiot!

"Fine, Raph. I _will_ ditch you," he replied. My eyes went wide. I didn't expect him to actually agree with me! I saw him reach into his belt and place a small blinking device on my arm. Before I could ask a question, I felt him shoving me forward towards the edge of the roof. As I fell over the edge, I saw that I was heading straight towards a garbage dump truck.

When I finally pulled myself to the surface of the garbage, I realized that the truck was moving and Don was NOWHERE to be seen! And it sure did smell in there! Geez! Of all places to throw me into… it HAD to be a garbage truck! I looked around to see if Don joined me, but he didn't. Where did he go to? "Don?!" I called out. Did he… did he… no way… NOT Don. He was smarter than that. Or was he? Damnit… no WAY he tried to take the Foot on his own! Damn him! He had been lecturin' me like Leo for days about stayin' out of trouble and look what he did! I scanned the rooftops with my eyes and didn't see any Foot ninjas trailin' the truck. Finally I managed to pull myself free. Ugh… it was so disgustin' in this place. There were tons of squishy things touchin' me; I didn't even WANT to know what they were. It smelled worse than Mikey's mornin' breath. Geez. When the truck came to a stop at a light, I peered over and saw that no one was around. I jumped down and took refuge in an alley.

Once I was in the alley, I looked around, tryin' to figure out where I was. I rubbed my arm and felt the tracker that Don put on me was still there. I peeled it off and looked at it. What the hell was he pullin' anyway? Scowlin' down at it, I threw it on the ground. No way was he gonna act like he was savin' me. I CAN take care of myself.

As I walked a little forward, I quickly put my hand to my head. The drugs were still not wearin' off. Just how long were these things for? I didn't want to chance gettin' worse and by the looks of where I was, I was pretty close to where Casey and April lived. I decided I would crash there till I got better or till everyone became very worried about me. That would show them. Maybe then, Don would feel bad for druggin' me.

When I reached the fire escape to their apartment, I looked in through the window to see April practicin' her daily routine with her bokken. Casey was loungin' around on the couch, readin' a newspaper. Some vigilante… a pretty lazy one. I did my normal tap on the glass to get their attention. April stopped her exercises and smiled at me. "Raph!" She smiled happily as she opened the window to let me in.

As I climbed in, I felt lightheaded and stumbled a little forward. I caught myself before I could fall over and shook my head. Don was SO goin' to hear it when I got back home. "Raph, are you okay? You look like crud," Casey commented. He winced as he added, "And you _smell_ like it, too."

I glared over at him. He sure had a way with words. Don't know why April was stayin' with him if that's the best he could do. "Thanks. You can thank Don for it too."

"You two are still fighting, huh?" April asked as she closed the window. There was a sad, sincere expression on her face.

I blinked over at her. "How did you know?"

"You kiddin'?" Casey remarked. "Don tells April everythin', Raph. You don't know that by now?"

I decided to keep my response to myself. I just wanted to sit down and not think about any of this mess. I plopped down on the couch and asked, "You got anythin' to eat?"

"Sure… let me go get you something." April replied back sadly. I knew she was lookin' for an answer back.

Casey watched her, then looked back at me. He just stared at me. It was kind of creepy. "What?" I asked. "Geez, you're spookin' me out."

"Well," Casey edged on, "what happened?"

I sighed and was about to finally give in and reply, but April came back over with a bag of chips and a soda can. I glanced up at her as she took her seat next to Casey. Now BOTH of them were looking right at me. I opened my soda, then glanced up again. They were STILL lookin' at me. "Will you two quit that already? Sheesh."

"We only want to help you, Raph. You are family to us. All of you guys are." April soothingly replied back.

I sighed and put my soda can down. As much as I didn't want to, all I could think of was Don out there alone with the Foot. Here I was sittin' on my shell, with a soda and a bag of chips. Man, I hated him sometimes. "Look… no offense, April. This is kind of like, you know… man talk. Can I speak to Casey alone?"

April silently nodded her head, then turned to Casey. "I'm going upstairs to take a shower. Let me know if you need me." She then went upstairs to the second level of their apartment.

"Well?" Casey continued. "You're killin' me with this silent business, Raph. Just tell me already."

I sighed again as I rimmed my finger along the edge of the soda can. "Just this whole city…I'm gettin' REALLY tired of hearin' about all the crime. No one is doin' anythin' and my bros are just sittin' around sayin' that they're workin'. If you ask me, they're turnin' their backs on New York. I FINALLY do somethin' about it and I get blamed for it. Ever since Leo's been gone, Don thinks HE'S the leader now. Well, he ain't bossin' me around."

"I know what you mean, Raph," Casey sighed. "Lately, it's gettin' harder to go out like I used to. April worries about me too much. There's just not enough justice in this city."

I nodded my head in agreement. At least I wasn't alone in thinkin' this. Why couldn't my bros see it though? "Don keeps goin' on about how I'm puttin' them in danger…. I mean maybe I took things too far with Mikey comin' along… but it wasn't MY fault that he got hurt…. I would never WANT to put them in any kind of danger…."

"That's why I wear a mask, Raph. I mean, that way no one knows who I am. I'm just some 'crazy hockey-masked vigilante.'" Casey smiled.

"No… you ARE a bonehead, Case," I corrected with a grin on my face.

Casey chuckled. "Sure… well at least I am a good-lookin' bonehead."

I rolled my eyes at his response. I then sat there pondering about what all was said. Casey didn't have a bad idea… maybe I HAD to get a costume. "Maybe this city needs someone like that, Casey…." I spoke out loud.

"Like what?" Casey asked.

I kind of tuned him out and continued my thoughts. "This city just needs someone who's gonna show those punks out there that there's more punishment than just a slap on the wrists by the cops." This was soundin' really… _good_.

Casey sighed in agreement. "New York sure needs _some_thin', Raph."


	8. Chapter 8

Much as I hated ditching Raph, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't something of a smile on my face.

I continued running through the rooftops, my speed definitely improved from having dropped my cargo. The Foot are catching up, but I'm aiming on losing them. All I need to do is drop into this next alley, open up the manhole cover, and hide in the shadows. Then they'd think I went into the sewers and lose themselves down there while I go find Raph.

My eyes went down to the dump truck that Raphael was trying to flail his way out of, and I nearly stopped in my tracks. There were two Foot chasing after the truck, trying their best to keep up. They were probably waiting for him to jump out so they could tackle him. _Not if I can help it_, I thought.

Before I even knew what I was doing, I jumped off the roof, swung onto a streetlight, and crashed down towards the two ninjas trailing the truck. We rolled for a while in the dark street, and I was grateful that the closest approaching car was blocks away. One of the ninjas kicked me hard in the stomach, and I grunted as I punched one of them in the face, not even sure if he's the one that hit me.

Judging by the headlights, the car was getting closer. I was really hoping that none of the other Foot had been tracking Raph, because these two guys are putting up more of a fight than I would have thought. I tried my best to wrench my way out of the tangle of black arms and legs as the vehicle starts getting close and honking its horn.

Finally getting too concerned about car, I decided to fight dirty. I kneed one of them in the groin and jumped to my feet, dragging along the other Foot who was maintaining a tight grip on my arm. The car horn was now honking wildly and, in the hope of keeping myself alive, I slapped the ninja soundly across the face with the back of my hand, pushing him backwards as I jump to safety.

The sound of the screeching tires makes my skin crawl.

From the shadows of an alley, I looked back at the scene. I had apparently pushed the ninja directly into the car's trajectory. His body was lying at a horrifying angle, and the driver had jumped out of her car and was screaming. Did I… did I do that? Did I just kill a Foot ninja?

I heard a sound behind me and whirled around. The female ninja was standing behind me. Despite a glimmer of anger in her eyes, she maintained her calm façade. "Are you satisfied, turtle," she asked me. "Are you now willing to listen to reason?"

My knees felt like they were going to buckle under me, and my head was swimming. Still, I wasn't about to let her know that. Taking out my bo, I told her, "Lady, you've got us confused. The one wearing the _red_ is the unreasonable one. As for what just happened, I'm sorry. I was just trying to keep him off my brother's back."

"That is precisely what I mean," she told me. I took a quick look around. It didn't look like I was surrounded or anything, but I doubt that any half-decent ninja would allow himself to be seen at a time like this. "You did what you felt you must, because you knew the safety of your brother depended upon it. And when it came down to a life-or-death situation, you willingly pushed your enemy in the way of danger while you ensured your own survival. The Foot Clan does the same, and so I would not think it would be in your best interests to make an enemy of us too soon."

"I'm _nothing_ like you!" I screamed out at her before she's even done talking. "Don't try and use this as some way to make me turn over to the dark side, lady. The Foot is pretty synonymous with evil, and my brothers and I _will_ stop you the minute we know what you're up to."

"But you will do nothing now?" I shifted uncomfortably as she asked the quiet question. "Perhaps your clan has more in common with mine than you would choose to admit. You would not waste time with an enemy when you still have a family member in potential danger… and nor would I." She paused for a moment before walking towards me. I stiffened up, but calmed considerably when she passed by me and told me, "Go tend to your wounded, turtle. I shall go tend to mine."

I turned around, watching as she approached the accident scene. Hearing sirens in the distance, I quickly called out, "Wait!" I don't know what I meant to say. Someone who's reviving the criminal organization that's been my family's sworn enemy for years has just missed the perfect opportunity to strike, allowing me to go "tend to my wounded." And she's… going to tend to hers. This woman… if she's acting as the new head of the Foot Clan, then she's definitely of a different make than the Shredder.

She had paused when I called to her, but I still couldn't find the words to say. Turning to look back at me over her shoulder, she told me, "My name is Karai. When the one you call Leonardo returns, we shall have dealings once again."

In a flash, she threw down some smoke pellets. By the time I stopped coughing, she was gone and the police were fast approaching. She knew about Leo! _How_ did she know about Leo? And… if she knew that we're not a complete team, why did she just walk away?

I didn't have time to think about this, though. As much as I wanted to see if the injured Foot ninja was alive, I decided to let that mystery gnaw at me while I turned to find a sewer to duck into. Sheathing my bo, I found one and jumped in.

Once I landed in the murky water of the sewers, I fell to my knees. My stomach felt queasy. One brother was sick at home. Another one was drugged up and taking a swim in a garbage truck. And another was halfway across the world. And here I am, the so-called leader of the group, unable to keep to his feet because he may have just ended a life.

_No time_, I thought as I slowly made my way to my feet. _No time for the pity fest. Take out your tracking device and locate your brother. Then you can go home and… and cry, if that's what you really want, you big baby._

Disgusted with myself, I began to do just that.

* * *

"At least you're safe in here," I murmured, leaning against the window sill.

Raphael and Casey looked up, apparently not having heard me climb the fire escape. "Donnie!" Raphael remarked, getting up. Apparently, the drugs have worn off. "How'd ya find me?"

"Simple," I smirked, pulling myself into the apartment. "When I found where you abandoned the tracker, I just followed my nose. _Eau de Garbâge_ is a great scent for you." He cursed under his breath and sat back down. I'm shocked April even let him on her sofa; it was more than obvious that he just fell off a garbage truck.

"You okay, Donnie?" Casey asked. "You ain't lookin' too good. A little more green than usual, and that's pretty hard considering, y'know… you're a turtle." Raphael eyed me curiously at Casey's statement, but I just crossed my arms over my chest and looked down.

"Donnie? I _thought_ I heard your voice!" I looked back up when April came down the stairs. I was surprised by how cheerful she managed to look. Then again, I don't know if I can imagine being cheerful for a long time after tonight.

"Hey April," I said, trying not to sound too sullen. "It's pretty late. I hope Raph didn't wake you two up."

"Naw, we're pretty much night owls," Casey explained with a dreamy grin, leaning back against the sofa. "If we're not up all night arguin', then we're up all night… uh…." He looked up at April, who shot him a wry glance. "Actually," he added with a forced yawn, "I think I'm goin' to bed. G'night, kids."

Raphael and I muttered a goodnight back before we begrudgingly looked at one another. Raph had this weirdly contemplative look on his face, which made me uneasy. Then again, I probably didn't look much better, since he gave me a questioning glance.

"So," I finally said, "you ready to go? Sensei's probably worried about us, since he'll be due to wake us up for our morning training session in another hour or so." Raphael nodded and got up, thanking April for the chips and soda before ducking out the window.

"Call me later," April told me. "You look upset." I didn't answer for a moment, but finally nodded before going out and following after Raph.

We didn't say anything as we walked side-by-side in the sewers. The silence made my mind go back to that Foot ninja. The anonymous person that might just end up being a John Doe in tomorrow's newspaper… or maybe even a Jane Doe. Heck, you can't really tell, can you? If they had _one_ woman in their group, then why not others? And this "Karai" looked pretty young… maybe the person I killed was a teenaged girl, still in high school. Oh God… I _killed_ her. I….

"Donnie, whoa. What is it? What's wrong?" I hadn't realized that I had stopped in my tracks. I covered my face with my hand, trying so hard to be the proud leader who never showed fear, who never cried in front of his teammates. But let's face it. I'm not cut out for this. I can't lead my brothers out on the field. And if I'm the most likely leader and _I'm_ not prepared, then I certainly can't expect for my brothers to be.

It seemed like Raphael kept his distance, almost like he viewed my sentimentality as a contagious disease. It wasn't until I hunched over like I was going to be sick that he came closer. I felt his hand on my shell, and I realized he was pushing me towards a corner. "If you're gonna vomit or somethin'," he told me, "do it where we ain't likely to walk."

His brusqueness seemed to ground me, and I just sunk down to my knees again. After a moment, he came around and sat in front of me, his shell against the wall. "You know," he said, "pumping me full of your crazy drugs _was_ a dumb move, but it ain't nuthin' to cry over. So I'm guessin' somethin' happened while I was gone."

"Your astute observations astound me," I proclaimed, somehow making that embarrassing whimper sound sarcastic. I looked up at him, and even though his face was still as cold and detached as it always was, I could see something different in his eyes. It looked like the barest hint of concern.

Taking a deep breath, I finally stated, "Two of the Foot were trailing you, so I had to put them out of commission. I… there… there was an accident." I looked down after breathing out the last few words in a quick jumble.

Raphael said nothing, then asked, "Dead?" That single word is almost enough to make me feel like throwing up again, but I managed to keep it down as I responded that I didn't know. Given the position of the body, though…. A sob almost escaped my lips. I could feel Raphael's eyes focused on me. Finally, he said, "You… you killed a guy… for me?"

I'm horrified to admit that I nearly laughed. The way he sounded… it was almost _flattered_. It wasn't like I meant for that car to come racing down the street without stopping. It wasn't like I purposely pushed the ninja into the car's path. Heck, it wasn't even like it was my idea to be out here tonight in the first place. And yet… I couldn't deny that….

"Yeah," I answered, looking up to meet his eyes. "I don't think I'll ever be able to fight again, but tonight I killed somebody for you." He seemed absolutely aghast by the confession as he asked me _why_. My throat dry, I gave him a small smile. "You would've done the same for me, I'm sure. Wouldn't you?"

I saw the slow transformation come over his face as a realization seemed to dawn on him. His eyes softened, and the muscles that seemed to keep his face tensed relaxed just a little. I winced when he reached out a hand towards me, a natural reaction that comes from a childhood of brotherly abuse. Instead, he just clasped my shoulder in a firm grip. "You bet your shell on it, bro," he finally told me in a low voice.

We said nothing else for a long time before gathering ourselves up and returning silently to the lair.

* * *

Time went on, and I began to think that things fell back into some semblance of normalcy.

Of course, predicting the behavioral patterns of my brothers is a scientific impossibility. Mikey's healed rather nicely after his little rooftop adventure. We finally set up Cowabunga Carl's birthday service, and he's already complaining that children terrify him more than any of the lowlifes we've ever fought. There's still no word from Leo. Though I'm more worried than I care to admit, Sensei doesn't seem be having a bad feeling about this. He can usually sense when one of us is in trouble, so I'm betting that maybe Leo just… likes it out there. Wherever "out there" is, by this time.

As for Raph… we were doing real well for a while. A short while, but a while nonetheless. Then the newspapers started picking up on this new vigilante in town, some guy by the name of Nightwatcher or something. Raph seemed really happy about it, showing me the articles and telling me, "Look. Somebody's _finally_ doin' somethin' about all the trash hangin' around. Wait'll this Karai chick scopes _this_ guy out. She won't be buggin' nobody 'til she finds some way to deal with _him_."

I took a look at the fuzzy picture that an amateur photographer got of the wannabe superhero. With a smirk, I replied, "He looks like a medieval knight on steroids. I hardly think the Foot are even going to _want_ to bother with some novice like that."

Okay, so apparently Raph is super-defensive of his heroes. To this day, we get into fights about this Nightwatcher character. I say he's a vigilante with even less tact than Casey who's going to end up getting himself in way over his head. Raph will slam his fist down dangerously close to my keyboard and try to convince me that Nightwatcher's an inspiration, a shining example of someone who wants to take care of the people living in this rundown city.

As time goes on, I see less and less of Raph. He sleeps all day and is way too grumpy in the evenings for us to even ask what it is he does at night. Since Sensei told me not to worry about Leo, I'm not going to worry about Raphael, either. The last time I worried about him, I ended up ruining some Foot ninja's life, if I didn't end it altogether.

I just hope Raph knows that the reason I stay out of combat isn't because I don't care. I _do_ care. And that's why I'm staying in, taking it easy with a normal job and supporting for my family. I'm taking care of us.

The funny thing is, I think _he_ feels that he's somehow taking care of us, too.


End file.
